Minnesota Vikings training camp: Day 8 stock report
By Josh Zinger
Stock Up
Teddy Bridgewater had by far his strongest practice this week, protecting the ball while still throwing downfield with confidence. Other than an interception to Xavier Rhodes on a free play (Teddy drew Everson Griffen offsides and heaved a pass into coverage downfield to try to capitalize on the penalty), Teddy didn’t turn the ball over once. Additionally, he showed remarkably improved zip on his intermediate passes and touch on his deep balls. It’s clear that Teddy didn’t just improve his deep accuracy this offseason, he improved his overall arm strength. Teddy connected on multiple bombs to Stefon Diggs and one to Adam Thielen, and threw a few more that were right on target that were either dropped or broken up. Teddy was on the money today, rifling passes into tight windows all night long and moving the ball down the field with ease.
Kyle Rudolph had a very strong practice, showing up particularly well as a run blocker. Early in the night, Rudolph handled not one but two defenders to seal the edge for what would have been a long touchdown run for Adrian Peterson. Rudolph’s blocking was solid the rest of the night, and he also showed well as a receiver, catching a number of short passes and proving to be a reliable target for Teddy Bridgewater. Rudolph even wowed the crowd with a nice one-handed catch on a swing route. Overall, it was a very solid day for the tight end.
Adrian Peterson is simply not human. At 31 years old, Peterson looked like possibly the best athlete on the field, stopping and starting on a dime and showing remarkable burst through the hole. Peterson would be ready if the season starts tomorrow, and I wouldn’t bet against him taking home the rushing title again this year.
Stefon Diggs put on a show again tonight, catching a diving touchdown in 1 on 1s with Jayron Kearse draped all over him and reeling in several balls throughout the night, including a couple of bombs from Teddy. There isn’t much more to be said about Stefon Diggs at this point. He’s going to be a star.
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